He looked away from her out the window, unable to immediately respond. "What's not to love? My parents think I'm in Israel on a kibbutz," he said, laughing sadly. "Rabbi Zeitloff handles the correspondence between us, and has people check on them to bring me word, sends them pictures.... It's all a bizarre ruse, but for their own good. They're happy, with parental bragging rights." He glanced away from the window and nervously ran his fingers through his hair. "So, how about you? How's the Light treating you?" Then he stopped and stared at her hard. "Seriously, all jokes aside, what's it like where you are?"
"Free," she whispered. "There is no way to describe the peace."
He nodded. "That's very cool and real good to know--especially since on any given day or night, any of us on this team might find ourselves over there with you. Glad you got somewhere safe. I know Mar rests better knowing that you did."
Dan's eyes held Christine's, compassion wafting through her body and covering his skin from where she drifted across the room. "She's real good people, Rav--I mean, Christine. Is like a Mom to me, too. Really, she's like that for all of us, except maybe Shabazz.... You know what I'm saying, since she sleeps with him, how can she be his mom? But, I'm... oh, shit, I've never talked to an angel before, so I don't know what I'm supposed to say or not."
Christine nodded and her expression remained serene. Then she smiled. "I'm not an angel, just a very lucky spirit that wound up on the first ring of Light. I have so much to learn, so many things to correct, and who knows how many incarnations to go through before I get it right. But thanks for the compliment."
"Oh, well... that's cool, too, I guess. Reincarnation is like a do-over," Dan said, slowly setting his gun on the dresser. "Beats me why you'd wanna come back down here to check on any of us, after you got a get-out-of-jail-free card, though."
"It's because I did get one of those," she murmured, her large, luminous brown eyes pouring empathy into his. "I felt your pain, followed you here. Something happened and allowed me to come onto this side of the veil. Lopez almost followed me, but they've pulled him so high up, I don't think he can slip out without them knowing. He has a message for Carlos and Jose, but it's not time yet to deliver it. Padre has work to do, some other mission, but sends his love. You have to let Carlos know there's no hard feelings, just love here."
"Whoa... you saw Lopez?"
She nodded and looked away. "He's in our old line from that old existence.... They let you remember all so that you gain wisdom, but it doesn't hurt once you've faced it and admitted it. I'm in an atonement phase, I guess. That's why I'm here to help."
Dan shrugged and jammed his weapon-free hand into his sweatpants pocket. "Well, we did pretty good on our own in Tibet, unless you guys from the unseen side of things were in the equation, which I don't doubt."
"We were."
"Thanks," he said, smiling. He carefully put the safety on his gun before sliding it further away on his dresser. "Glad you're on our side... but we're cool now."
She tilted her head and glanced away. "I used to be a master vamp's lair mate... and, uhmmm... for a while, I bottomed out in the succubae realms. So can we speak freely?"
Sudden heat flushed Dan's face and he walked away from the smiling entity that glowed to brace his hands on the window frame.
"Tell me you guys don't see everything."
"We don't spy on personal things, no. That's unnecessary. We can feel things... sense the vibrations. Although we don't sashay into dreams uninvited, if that's what you're worried about. We only come when we're called, or if the person is really in trouble or upset and has a prayer for guidance in their hearts. You had one of those just now, so I came."
He let out an audible breath; her tone still nagged him. There was too much amusement in it.
"You're not trapped down here, or anything?"
"No," she said, giggling softly, "and I'll go away, if I'm upsetting you."
"It's not that I don't appreciate your looking out for me, but... just some things are really personal, and I'm working through it on my own, and it'll really wig me out if you just blow through my room when I don't know you're there." He glanced over his shoulder and saw her swallow away a broad smile. That was the last thing he needed anybody to see, those times when it was so bad he had to relieve himself just to get through another day.
"I won't do that to you. I promise. I just followed your pain trail and heard the prayer and thought you might want to talk to someone who knows how you feel." Her voice had become gentle as she glided closer to him. She was truly beautiful and not the least bit threatening. But the things that had been on his mind weren't the sort of topic one discussed with a heavenly body.
"The truth is the Light, you know," she said with a wide grin. "I can take some of that pain away. Just take the edge off."
He backed up, rendered near speechless. "How?"
She laughed, sending the sound of tinkling bells around the room. "Not like that," she said, and then covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh, Daniel, it's really bad, isn't it?"
"I don't wanna discuss it, and I think you should leave before you get stuck here or something."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh."
She came closer and touched his face. This time he didn't draw away from her. A quiet peace filled him, and the need to hug her to feel more of her calming sensation made him jam both his hands into his pockets. To his surprise, she opened her arms and embraced him. He'd expected the touch to be ghostly cold and to pass right through him. Instead serene warmth radiated against his skin like a humid summer breeze.
"Don't covet what J.L. has.... They're making one especially for you--and right now, we need you to be one of the voices of reason. I don't know exactly what's going on, since I'm new. But I know something is about to happen, and it's big. Just be careful, Dan, and don't worry about having a mate. One is on the way." Christine smiled. "Would you like to see her?"
He gazed into Christine's beautiful brown eyes, seeing through her translucent irises into what seemed like infinity. He'd heard the part about something major going down, but at the moment, his focus was on the last part of what she'd said. Then he saw her, just like in his daydream. Gorgeous gray eyes and a lush spill of auburn curls. That was all he could make out in the mist blanketing standing stones.
"Wow... you mean you know that they're sending another female Guardian?" His voice had come out on a choked murmur of anticipation.